Marv Wolfman: Titans’ Last Days

On This Page:
>> Marv on New Titans #127-130 [internet posts]
>> Marv looks back on Titans [Sequential Tart interview]

Marv Wolfman’s Internet Postings on New Titans #127-130

(Marv Wolfman) wrote: “Thank you for your comments. I wanted to wrap up the story a certain way and for the first time in a long time (since I edited the book) I did exactly what I wanted with the group. Thanks to Mike Carlin and Dan Thorsland for their trust. I wish I could have had more pages for the final issue so it wouldn’t have been too rushed at the end, but frankly all that would have happened was we’d have seen more action. The character stuff was what I cared (and care) about. I do wish the final issue had gotten more publicity. But that’s the way things go. Again, thanks everyone for the nice comments on the last four issues.”
– Marv

Internet Post Comment: I’m betting that Terra was supposed to be the original Terra. I find this sad, especially since I grew to despise her as a traitor during “The Judas Contract.” Donna’s story isn’t really unresolved. I’m not sure Marv had any specific plans for this.

Marv replies: “I will say I had promised the old Terra was dead. She is. The new Terra in no way is the old Terra. She’s not cloned from the old Terra. Not her sister, relative or anything else. She had no conenction with the old Terra. ”

Internet Post Comment: Of course, the whole separation from Terry was done extremely badly anyway. Pantha needs to be dealt with. I’d also like to know more about Miri’s child? Is he/she half-vampire? I know Deathwing had been a vampire, but later stories didn’t seem to reflect that. (Of course, they took place in Team Titans, and no one knows if that whole series even happened!)

Marv replies: “These stories about Donna’s break-up were done after I left Team Titans by another writer. Aim your views to those people, not to me.”

Marv on hints that Terra II is Terra I: “The editor at the time insisted we do that story. I didn’t want to, even though it was agreed on in advance the new Terra would NOT be related in any way to the old. I just didn’t see any reason to bring it up again. At about this time I asked off the title. My contract brought me to issue #130 and I saw no reason to bring up the Terra situation again in the limited time we had. ”

Marv on Donna/Terry break-up: “The break up happened in Team Titans after I left it. I disagreed with it and said so, but the writer did it anyway. It was wrong in my mind to do it–Donna and Terry would not suddenly split up that way. They may have split up if we saw a real problem between them but I just had them occasionally have Donna’s power come between them–something they would have gotten through. Once the divorce was done though, and I got the character back, I could not simply undo what was done. Hence my following up on it etc. It was an editorial decision that led Donna to Kyle…which I also don’t feel was right, but had no real reason to argue. IF Donna split with Terry and Dick was splitting with Kory, I would have very slowly had Dick and Donna get together…which I did suggest in an overview memo.”

Marv on the Final Story: “Please note the editor in question is not there any more. And I was given lots of leeway with the editor that followed to do the four-parter pretty much as I wished. There were problems but only because of size…I would have liked to expand the last issue to a double-sized book to clear up a few more things, but ultimately outside of the last story being rushed somewhat, I was pleased. Not the best Titans, but I felt the book was back in character, back to being optimistic rather than negative, and the characters were returned to their real characters. You may not like how I did some of it, but Kory is back to being Kory, Vic to Vic and Gar to Gar.”

“For those who questioned bringing back Trigon–I really felt we needed to go back to the reason the group formed in order to end it properly. Also, I wanted to return Raven to being her real self again which necessitated explaining all the things I set up between Kory and Raven. You may not have wanted to see Trigon again (and, in fact, his scheme failed so you didn’t see him) but it made for a circular ending which brought it all back to where it began. The reason the Titans was formed is what made them succeed in their final issue.”

Marv Talks Titans End

[July 2002: a post from http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/forum]

“I agree the book fell apart. I feel it’s because I wasn’t in control of it and had to follow a good half dozen editors who kept taking it in different directions. Some excellent some not so. But none of them what I would have done for good or bad. About Bill Jaska. Bill’s pencils were truly lovely and innovative, but maybe too much of a departure for the Titans. Unfortunately, his inks were not at all up to the pencils. Since I saw his pencils I didn’t understand the problem until I looked at the finished books.”

“The real Terra is dead. Period. The one from Team Titans – which never should have been done as a book, by the way, despite my liking each of the characters alot, was someone who was changed to look like Terra and given new memories so she could be planted into the group. But she was not Terra. I don’t know what any other writer has done since, but when I killed her she was dead dead. And I have never brought back a character I said was dead – as opposed to leading you to think its s/he’s dead. And I did confirm Terra’s death enough times.”

Marv Talks Dick & Donna

[July 2002: a post from http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/forum]

“I don’t usually talk about undone stories because some day they may get done. But yes, there was a Dick-Donna romance planned. Frankly, I would have left her married to her hubby because I still think Terry was the best match for her but since he was killed off without my imput, I did plan to later get the D-twins (Dick & Donna) together, if only for them to see that they were too similar to be together.”

Marv Wolfman Sequential Tart Interview: Marv looks back on Titans

ST: Along with George Pérez, you created the New Teen Titans, a book which was such a success both critically and commercially that it supported two monthly titles for a while and spawned numerous monthly series and mini-series (Night Force, Vigilante, Teen Titans Spotlight, Deathstroke, Hawk and Dove, Team Titans, Tempest, Arsenal, Nightwing, etc.), many of which you also wrote. Aside from great writing , what do you believe can be attributed most to the success of Titans?

MW: The characters, as devised by me and George were fun. The writing and great art kept that consistent.

ST: Terra, whom you created for the Teen Titans was designed to be an evil teen. Did you have problems with your editors about that? What do you think about her resurrection?

MW: As far as I know Tara was never resurrected. There was a fake Terra, but she was a plant by a villain and not the original at all.

ST: You have had serious impact on two of the three Robins in the DC Universe. Robin I Under your pen, not only did Grayson ditch the Robin identity for Nightwing, he grew from merely the Boy Hostage into probably one of the most capable team leaders in comics. How do you account for such outstanding leadership qualities when Batman, who is such a non-team player, trained him?

MW: To my credit, and to George’s credit, we simply changed the character to the way we thought he should be. We tried to make him more three-dimensional than he had been.

ST: Considering that you did a lot to essentially define the Nightwing character, what are your views on his current state? When you were writing him, did you envision him eventually working alone in Bludhaven?

MW: I have nothing to do with this version of Nightwing. I was told they didn’t want my viewpoint on the series.

ST: Robin III IN the Batman/Titans story arc A Lonely Place of Dying, you were given the task of picking up the pieces of the tragic Jim Starlin story A Death in the Family (the death of Jason Todd, Robin II). In your story, readers were introduced to the new Robin, Timothy Drake. In re-creating Batman’s partner, which qualities from the previous incarnations did you either try to emulate or avoid? How did you want him to differ from the others?

MW: I wanted someone who wanted to be Robin, not Batman. I wanted a fun sidekick again because his goal was to be the sidekick, not the grim hero.

ST: Since you created the current Robin, how do you feel about the character’s current state?

MW: I don’t read the Batman titles.

above info courtesy of http://www.sequentialtart.com

End of titanstower.com transmission. About this author: Bill Walko is an author and artist and the man behind titanstower.com. He's been reading and drawing comics since he was 5 years old and hasn't stopped since. Read more from this author